This is an update to a ‘stew’ recipe I posted a couple years back. I am happy to report that in addition to improving the recipe, I also now have the ability to identify the difference between soup and stew ;) Categorization issues aside, the beauty of this recipe is that you can pretty much swap in any veggies you have on hand, change up the spices and/or add rice or noodles to keep things interesting.

I used pre-cut root veggies this time around because Whole Foods didn’t have whole rutabaga or parsnip.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 medium rutabaga

1 turnip

1 parsnip

2 large carrots

2 stalks celery

1/4 green cabbage

32 fl oz chicken broth

1 bunch green kale

1 bunch spinach

16 oz (2 cups) pumpkin puree

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Steps

Clean and chop all vegetables, peel the rutabaga/parsnip/turnip. Add all veggies except the greens to slow cooker (I usually put the root vegetables on the bottom since they take the longest to cook)

Clean and break up chicken thighs (this can be done with a knife, your hands or a wooden mallet), add to slow cooker

Sauté oil, onion and spices (.5 tsp cayenne) on the stove on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until fragrant, add to slow cooker

Pour pumpkin puree and spread over other ingredients

Pour chicken broth covering ingredients (there should be enough chicken broth to cover all ingredients but if it is a little low push ingredients down or add a bit of water to ensure everything is covered in liquid)

Cook on low for 7 hours

Add greens* and rest of the cayenne pepper around the the 6 hour mark.

*I prefer to add the spinach right before serving so it is soft but not slime-y, and I will usually add in a bit more each time I reheat an individual portion.